Can I put my bathroom exhaust fan outlet where I want to?

I am finishing my basement, and want to figure out where to run my bathroom exhaust fan duct out of the house.

The most convenient location is back through the utility room and out a rim joist. I read this in the IRC:

M1506.2 Exhaust openings.
Air exhaust openings shall terminate not less than 3 feet (914 mm) from property lines; 3 feet (914 mm) from operable and nonoperable openings into the building and 10 feet (3048 mm) from mechanical air intakes except where the opening is located 3 feet (914 mm) above the air intake.

Where I want to put the exhaust is easily 3 feet from any other opening, but what is a "mechanical air intake?" I have a vent on the side of the house for the utility room that is just a vent grille through the rim joise that passively provides fresh air to the utility room. This grille is about 4 feet horizontally from where I'd vent the bathroom fan.

The room it "technically" vents is the utility/mechanical room, so is that related? Would that be considered a "mechanical air intake", or does that mean an active sucking intake to some piece of mechanical gear?

Can I put my bathroom exhaust fan outlet where I want to?

Ha Ha I was only thinking about the moist air from the bathroom causing a problem. I didn't think about smelly air. Funny.

Well, since the grill is passive (not actively sucking in poo air), I am going to assume it is okay.

I am going to put this in the basement plan, and we'll see if the permit guys/inspector says anything about it.

I do have an alternative location if they do give me grief that is another 10 or 11 feet away (current plan is 17 feet from bathroom) and quite a bit harder to install that would meet the 10 ft requirement - but I'll try to get away without doing it.

I do have two more options:

1) exhaust into garage - this would be easy but I don't think it's right.

2) exhaust right next to dryer vent exhaust. But I understood the IRC that two outlets can't be within 3 ft of each other either, right?

Can I put my bathroom exhaust fan outlet where I want to?

If you guys that are HVAC pros don't know for sure about these things, I think the code needs some work. The "Mechanical intake" might be explained in the definitions section of the code, as an intake having a powered fan?

Anybody know?

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